HISTORY

The Basilica Papale di San Pietro in the Vatican City, commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica,
is the most famous Roman Catholic church in the world and one of the holiest sites in Christendom,
dating back to Roman architecture of the early Christian art period. The basilica, now the Pope's
principal church, was built according to tradition above the burial site of St. Peter, one of the twelve
disciples of Jesus and the first Bishop of Rome, who was martyred in the year 64 CE. To maintain this
tradition, Popes are now buried within the basilica. Designed as a replacement for the old
Constantinian church (where, for instance, King Charlemagne had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor
on Christmas Day 800) which had been erected around 320 CE, construction of the present building
was begun in 1506 (under Pope Julius II) and completed in 1626 (under Pope Urban VIII). Admired for
its Renaissance sculpture as well as its fusion of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, the design,
construction and decoration of Saint Peter's involved the greatest Old Masters of the day, including
Alberti, Raphael, Bramante, Michelangelo, and Bernini. Note that it is called a papal basilica rather
ST PETER BASILICA

than a cathedral, since it is not the seat of a bishop: the Arch Basilica of St. John Lateran is actually the
cathedral church of Rome. The latter functions as the principal church for worshippers who live in
Rome, whereas the former serves as the focal point for all pilgrims who come to Rome, as well as
locals.
Pilgrims entering the basilica are monitored by church
officials and members of The Swiss Guard. Inside, the
basilica is cruciform in shape, with an elongated nave in
the form of a Latin cross. The nave is framed by wide
aisles giving access to a number of chapels. These
include: the Chapel of the Presentation of the Virgin,
the
Clementine
Chapel, the
Chapel of the
Madonna of
Colonna, the
Gregorian
Chapel, the
Chapel of the
Pieta and
several other
altars. In addition, beneath the high altar, is the Chapel of the
Confession.The interior of Saint Peter's contains a
number of priceless treasures in marble and
bronze by the greatest Renaissance sculptors -
works such as Pieta (1500) by Michelangelo - as
well as Baroque sculpture - such as the baldachin
or ceremonial canopy over the main altar, and the
traditional Chair of St Peter (Cathedra Petri), both
designed by Bernini - and Neoclassical sculpture
(such as the marble statue of Pope Pius VI) by
Europe's greatest neoclassical sculptors like the
Italian genius Antonio Canova (1757-1822). It also
contains numerous papal tombs ornamented with
marble statues and reliefs - such as the Tomb of Pope Leo XI (1634-44) by Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654)
- as well as mosaics and precious metalwork. Ironically, the huge and aggressive fund-raising campaign
required to pay for the cost of the basilica and its contents (46 million ducats), led to protest across Europe
and became an important factor in triggering the Reformation and the birth of Protestantism.

BY : WAN NAZIHAH AMANI (1100522295)